NBA

White House senior advisor Jared Kushner blasts NBA players for social justice antics

Published by
Brad Sullivan

White House senior advisor Jared Kushner criticized NBA players on Monday for what he called “virtue signaling” regarding their social justice protests.

After the NBA resumed play within the bubble concept, players wore jerseys with social justice slogans. In addition, the courts the teams played on prominently featured the words: Black Lives Matter.

Kushner’s comments, whose father-in-law is President Donald Trump, are similar to what Kushner said in dismissing the NBA player boycott in August.

At that time, Kushner indicated that he’d be “reaching out” to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, but that connection presumably never took place.

Given the minimal support that Trump has within the NBA among players and coaches, it’s likely that few considered the offer a credible one.

In addition, Trump’s own bashing of the players’ social justice push made Kushner’s offer seem even more hollow.

The new Kushner comments are likely to be ignored and quickly forgotten, but the players are certainly watching for what takes place on Election Day, Nov. 3. When all the votes are counted, Trump may be replaced in the White House by Joe Biden, and Kushner will be out of a job.

Brad Sullivan

Brad has written on a variety of both NBA and NFL topics and has worked previously as a sports information director at the collegiate level. A lifetime fan of sports, he's witnessed countless great moments in different sports and understands that stories can be compelling from both the perspective of winners and losers. As a frustrated fan of Cleveland sports, he experienced something unprecedented when the Cavaliers won the city's first championship in 52 years.

Published by
Brad Sullivan

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